The Grumpy Gardener’s tips to all of you who love our feathered friends.
What big issue torments you?
Did a meteor come crashing through the roof last night?
Credit: Larry Keller, Lititz Pa./Getty Images
Did Fido swallow your wedding ring?
Did you mean to buy Swiss cheese and discover you came home with Muenster?
If this all sounds decidedlynotGrumpy, then forgive me.
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My rapidly senescing brain seeks harmony within a fractured world.
Seated in my favorite chair with a cocktail in hand, I am at peace.
Don’t think Grumpy has become an ornithologist.
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No doubt, many of you know more about birds than I.
But for those who seek to learn the basics ofattracting them to your garden, I’m your guy.
A bagful of mixed seeds usually contains all three.
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As an alternative, I highly recommend Cole’s Hot Meats (available fromamazon.com).
One spring day, Iencountered five Eastern bluebirdsenjoying a big family feast!
(If I were able to cry, I would have.)
Prime times for avian diners?
Morning and late afternoon.
Provide Shelter and Safe Nesting Sites
Birds feel vulnerable on the groundand rightly so.
It’s smart to have nearby trees that they can fly to after grabbing a seed.
Tall evergreens offer safe, hidden nesting sites well above the ground.
Be careful where you put birdbaths.
Basins must be on pedestals or suspended from chains with clear visibility.
Birds prefer shallow water that’s no more than an inch deep.
Heated baths are especially welcome where water freezes in winter.
Get a Good Feeder
Some are for small birds, while others are virtually universal.
You will also want to see to it itresists those (expletive deleted) squirrels.
Some claim to be “squirrel proof,” but I’d have to see that to believe it.
And Grumpy will confess to committing the woeful sin of taking these feathered ones for granted, on occasion.
But then a particularly brilliant cardinal flies in and shows me the error of my ways.
Sighting one brings such joy.
They’re named for their distinctive call that sounds like “chick-a-dee-dee-dee.”
Males and females look similar, and they often associate with chickadees.
They like to eat bugs and seeds.
